August 28 2020
Dear Filmgoer,
You may be wondering about our cinema’s plans for Autumn, so we write with an update about our immediate future. The committee met this week and had a long discussion about the safety and feasibility of re-opening at the end of September. We have decided that given the uncertainties of the immediate near future, and given our particular concerns about maintaining safety for our volunteers and our audience, we will not proceed with our screenings for the time being and will review the situation in December.
It wasn’t an easy decision. We all recognise that what we do is valuable and enjoyable for our audience and ourselves, and that we add something to the cultural life of Thame. We have all watched plenty of films on computers and laptops and televisions lately, but there is no substitute for the big screen experience.
However, we would not be able to sell more than 30 tickets per screening, and the safety measures would be stringent. So we could only offer a service to a relatively small number of our audience, which would cause a lot of frustration, and the conditions would be difficult for a small team to maintain. More importantly, even though the official line insists that this can be done safely, we might soon learn that people meeting indoors is not as safe as people would like to believe. We don’t want to create an environment that allows people to put themselves and others at risk. We’re sorry to have to disappoint you but hope you understand that your safety is our main concern.
Look after yourselves, and see you soon,
Thame Cinema For All
